


Together? I don't think so

by spacewritermonkey



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26375329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacewritermonkey/pseuds/spacewritermonkey
Summary: Everyone thinks Ava and Beatrice are a couple. Also, everyone else knows Ava and Beatrice are a couple before they do.
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 39
Kudos: 455





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Look at me starting fics with a couple of WIPs behind me already.

Ava thinks it all began when they were questioning one of Mary’s dubious informants. The man had been mostly uncooperative, even when Mary threatened to shoot off his foot. Ava had been getting impatient and sighed in consternation, asking if maybe they could hurry things along so they could go home soon. At her words, the large, pot-bellied, and frankly disgusting sort of man with his thinning hair and crooked teeth had the gall to look her up and down, obviously leering at her chest before asking, “What’s the hurry, sweetheart? Got a date? Maybe you and I could—”

Before the youngest member of Team Halo could even try to discreetly adjust her neckline, and before whatever it was the man had to say could be completed—his words were lost thanks to his face suddenly getting acquainted with the floor.

One moment he was upright and the next he simply wasn’t.

Everyone were a tad too shocked to react in that moment, but their minds processed that Beatrice was suddenly down on one knee, leaning over the man in what was undoubtedly a threatening manner, one of her faithful daggers nearly cutting into the skin of the man’s throat as she whispered something in his ear that had him turning pale. As soon as Beatrice loosened her hold on him, he started talking and giving them the information they needed in no time at all.

Before they could turn to leave, the guy surprised them by actually apologizing. “Hey, ladies! I’m sorry. I uh didn’t know she was your girlfriend.” The guy actually looked ashamed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Beatrice and Ava simultaneously looked at each other before quickly averting their gazes, the former deciding to be the one to correct him. “Setting aside that her status as a single or otherwise attached woman is not equivalent to the respect she deserves, we’re _not_ —as you say—together. You do _know_ we’re—I’m a nun.” She decides to end her explanation the simplest way possible. Or rather, with the least amount of obfuscation required.

The guy simply shrugged. “You love who you love, don’t you?”

Lilith rolled her eyes and encouraged them to leave. “Explaining how being a nun works will only take away from time we could spend speeding home.”

Despite the initial awkwardness in the car ride on the way home with Ava and Beatrice sat side by side, the incident slipped their minds eventually; they, or rather, Ava put Beatrice’s protectiveness as simply having gotten impatient with the man herself.

Of course, Mary, Lilith, and Camilla knew otherwise. But they’d never be the first to tell.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Ava thinks she and Beatrice were mistaken for a couple was when Beatrice invited her out for a surprise. It was supposed to be their weekend off and everyone else rushed to do their own thing. Mary immediately bid them adios the second they were free that Friday, excited to see a gun exhibit in the city. Lilith agreed it sounded exciting and decided to tag along. Camila thought it was time to upgrade some of their systems and (scarily so) informed everyone at the OCS that their internet will be down for the whole weekend. She also had to add “Unless you’re the Pope, Mother Superion, or God for that matter, don’t come calling or knocking.” And then she all but locked herself away in the server room. (Ava might have tried to phase her head through for a sneak peek if Camila was serious and saw more than she wanted of _intense Camila_.)

With the internet down, Ava was busy trying to think of anything to do to keep herself occupied. Saturday morning already saw her chased out of the kitchen, begged to leave pruning the garden, dragged away from the roof (don’t ask), and lectured about doing laundry properly.

The only one who seemed to have no immediate plans was Beatrice, although from what Ava gathered, the nun intend to go out sometime that weekend. Ava was beyond curious about said plans but felt embarrassed about constantly being on the nun’s tail. Fortunately, it was Beatrice who sought the Halo Bearer out.

“Hello, Ava.”

Ava was currently sprawled across the couch and she simply tilted her head backwards until she could see the nun from an upside-down perspective. “Hi, Beatrice.”

“Are you doing anything tonight?”

Ava frowned and sat back up to face her properly. “Pfft. I wish.”

The nun suddenly seemed a bit embarrassed, an unusual look on her but Ava let that detail go, “I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me.”

Though surprised, Ava suddenly looked the epitome of excitement as she clapped her hands, more or less bouncing on her seat. “Oh my God, yes! Where are we going? Are we going far? Are we taking a car? Do I need snacks? Actually, do _you_ need snacks?” The questions kept coming, but thankfully, Beatrice was already well-versed in Ava-esque. She held a hand up which seemed to momentarily give her an opening to interject, “We’re not going far. We can take one of the cars. And no, no snacks needed.”

They agreed to meet downstairs at half past six, Ava giddy and wondering about what to wear. Thankfully, Beatrice simply said whatever she was comfortable in would be fine.

At the agreed upon time, Ava arrived a bit late—something that Beatrice was trying to either get used to or improve upon their Warrior Nun. The car was idling by the main entrance, Beatrice behind the wheel. As Ava walked towards the vehicle, Beatrice couldn’t help but admire how she looked in her simple jeans and tank with a simple jacket ready to ward off the coming evening chill.

Meanwhile, Ava was, of course, in awe of the nun every time she saw her out of her habit. On those days, Ava felt like she had to sit on both of her hands to prevent herself from running her hand through the other woman’s hair until she can get them loose from the tight and neat bun it was often in whenever she went without her wimple. Like that day.

They pulled up to a parking spot near the town square and Ava noted that there seemed to be more of everything: hanging lights, twinkling lights, banners, tables, and chairs set outside restaurants, and definitely more people.

Following Beatrice’s example of getting out of the car, Ava was still a bit busy trying to figure out what event was going on before she noticed that Beatrice headed towards the back of the driver’s seat to retrieve something. Spying the black case, Ava immediately rounded the car to ascertain what it was.

Noting the look in her eyes, Beatrice offered a shy smile in answer.

Ava wasn’t sure so she had to ask, “Is that a violin? You know how to play? Oh my God are you playing??”

Thankfully, Beatrice was able to immediately jump in before Ava lost herself to more questions and an increasingly loud voice and motioned for them to start walking.

“Every year, there is this little fundraising activity people do around here. The recipients each year are different, but the point of the event remains the same: music. People volunteer to play or sing. And every year, Cat’s Cradle gets an invite if anyone would like to join.”

“Do you join every year?”

“Not always. I’ve only been able to join…well, this would be my third time. Not because I don’t want to. But sometimes time simply does not permit it. This time, I had specifically requested Mother Superion to allow us time off barring any OCS emergency.”

“Is there a specific reason why?” Ava prodded, always eager to know more about Beatrice.

Beatrice pauses, as if unsure if she should tell, but a quick glance at Ava assures the nun that the Warrior Nun would be the last to say anything against her truth. “This year, the benefits are intended for a homeless shelter.” Before Ava could express her enthusiasm, Beatrice adds in a lower voice, “It’s a homeless shelter for queer kids. You know, the one who got kicked out of their home because their parents uh…didn’t like who they are…” The nun’s voice tapers out until Ava barely heard her last words.

Without saying anything, Ava suddenly hugged Beatrice and squeezed her tightly once, twice, before pulling away, leaving her arms around the nun. “That’s great, Bea! I bet you’re going to wow them with your playing.”

The nun fidgets and fiddles with her collar a bit before replying, “You’ve never heard me play.”

Ava shrugs and grins, “You’re like _scary good_ at everything you do. I doubt playing the violin would be any different.”

Beatrice chuckles, “I appreciate the confidence, because…” Obviously, the nun still had something left to say so Ava waited for her to speak. It is one of the few times where Ava realizes she can sit still and be patient. She can wait for Beatrice every time.

“You mentioned before that uh…you’ve always wanted to see a live concert.”

Ava nods excitedly, “Yes! Because I’ve only ever had like radios, players, and TV to listen to when I’m lucky.”

“And you said you wanted to know if the feelings they evoke in you would be the same,” Beatrice continued, choosing to overlook the awe on Ava’s face which was born out of the realization that the nun was not only listening—she remembered.

“Obviously, I can’t just uh drag you to a concert or anything. But if it’s okay, I’ll be your first live performance.” Beatrice poses the end like a question.

Ava’s wide beaming smile is answer enough really, but she proceeds to tell Beatrice anyway, “I already know that this is going to be the _best_ live performance I’ll ever get to experience.”

* * *

That night, Beatrice played some of the more familiar notes, mostly for Ava’s appreciation, such as a few menuet excerpts from Bach’s _Clavierbuchlein_ * strung seamlessly together, and of course, _La Vie En Rose_. But it was her final performance that made Ava’s eyes widen in surprise and excitement, recognizing the piece within the first three notes.

When the last vibrato faded into the night, the deafening silence that followed almost broke Beatrice’s demeanor. Her eyes immediately searched the front row for that one person whom she knew she could count on to assure her, but the sheen in Ava’s eyes and something unrecognizable to the nun nearly caused her knees to buckle. Until the silence was suddenly replaced with the sound of people getting off of their seats, chairs clattering to the ground be damned. Claps, cheers, and whistles seemed to be the loudest ever applause given to any performer that night.

When Beatrice descended the stage, Ava could no longer help herself from flinging her arms around Beatrice to give her a hug. The taller woman nearly dropped her treasured Guarneri in the process but found she hardly cared as she instinctively wrapped her own arms around Ava.

Their hug was suddenly interrupted by a hand on Beatrice’s shoulder, which caused said woman to startle, and both young women immediately pulled away to see an elderly woman smiling at them.

“The way you played that instrument was lovely, my dear. And that’s an understatement.”

Beatrice blushed slightly but thanked the stranger in recognition of her praise. “Thank you very much, ma’am.”

“Your last piece was most inspiring! Please don’t misunderstand. The earlier ones were incredible, and you seem to show a level of mastery for them, but it was that last one that really stole the show I must say. Didn’t think Elvis would have ever thought his song would play so well on a violin! Tell me, have you ever played for others like this before?”

Her question was done in all innocence, but Beatrice couldn’t help but remember certain nights surrounded by people, fancy dresses, a million lights, variations of congratulatory messages, effusive greetings. But never from the people who mattered most. Always feeling alone.

Unlike tonight.

“Yes, ma’am. I have. Nothing quite like tonight, however.”

And that was the truth. Tonight’s crowd held one of the few people whose opinion mattered to her the most.

The older woman shifted her twinkling eyes and smile towards Ava, “But the way you two looked at each other was certainly even lovelier. Especially when you played that last song! Goodness, I thought my heart was going to fail me.”

It was at that moment that both realized that one of their arms were still wrapped around the other. Both quickly drew their arms away, and the other woman immediately apologized, “Oh, I didn’t mean to put you two completely on the spot, dears! I’m so sorry. But the way you two…it just reminded me of me and my husband.”

Though taken aback, both were unsure how to proceed as the other carried on, “It’s been nine years since he’d gone, but I do remember how he used to play his guitar and every time he performed whenever I was there, it was like there was no one else in the audience but me.”

Ava wanted to correct the woman in her obvious assumption that somehow, she and Beatrice were a couple, but…how does she even begin to say a word when she was obviously lost in memories of her loved one?

One look at Beatrice though and it’s as if both immediately understood and had come to an agreement.

Looking down at her hand, Beatrice felt time slow down as she saw her hand carefully reach for Ava’s, intertwining their fingers together. It felt like a perfect fit. _But not yours to have_ , a voice within insisted.

 _No matter. It’s only for tonight. And only for this lady_ , Beatrice thought, even as her heart seemingly missed a beat when Ava returned the grasp of her hand. Looking back up to meet Ava’s eyes, they exchanged brief smiles.

“I’m sorry if I made you two uncomfortable. But honestly, I know I may be old but I’m not THAT old-fashioned.” She laughed heartily and both younger women’s smiles grew.

“We’re just not quite used to public displays.” Ava began to explain, but the elderly lady cut her off excitedly.

“But her music made you forget everyone else around you, didn’t you? It made you lose control?” The grin should have made Ava blush. It certainly made Beatrice redden further to a degree that the younger woman found enticing. Instead, it just made her reply without hesitation.

“Yes. Yes, it did.”

* * *

When the old lady had gone, Beatrice remembered to ask Ava if she felt hungry. True to form, the Halo Bearer said yes and so off they went to find a suitable place to dine in.

That night, they had no place they needed to rush off to, no case or mission that needed their immediate attention. That night they could pretend they were both just two friends off to enjoy the night like anyone their age would.

For a time, they could pretend to be just friends, even when their hands which remained intertwined throughout the rest of the night said differently.\

> _Take my hand_  
>  Take my whole life too  
> For I can’t help  
> Falling in love with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The menuets from Bach's Clavierbuchlein may be credited to Georg Böhm (Menuet fait par Mons. Böhm) of which Bach's 1725 notebook consisted of his works along with other composers.
> 
> The choice of La Vie En Rose goes out to a certain chaotic figure on and off a certain server. If anything, she sure is consistent.
> 
> Also, if Beatrice had to suck at any particular skill, what do you guys think it'd be?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does one apologize when they have no idea what they're supposed to be sorry for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. This thing is still alive. Hope you all don't mind the names that featured in this chapter.

Ava honestly has no idea what she’s doing right now.

She knows she’s out of her depth. She had planned on getting Camila to help her out, but Mother Superion’s great timing had the young nun scrubbing a bathroom wall thanks to some prank that got out of hand. And no. Thankfully, that wasn’t Ava’s fault.

She would have gone to Mary, but chances are the older woman would tease her until the cows came home…and possibly even when the cows finally had baby cows.

Ava had even considered going to Lilith for help, but the woman took one look at her and declared, “I am _not_ getting in between whatever tiff you have going on with Beatrice.”

 _Rude_. Besides, it wasn’t a tiff per se. It was all probably just a misunderstanding.

_JUST a misunderstanding? A tiff that caused the most patient of all the nuns—who would basically allow you to get away with everything but murder (and maybe even then, really)—to ignore you for going on three days straight. JUST a misunderstanding, eh?_

Okay, that voice may sound a little too condescending but…they weren’t wrong.

Problem is, Ava has NO idea what crawled up Beatrice’s butt and died.

 _That’s an unfair description_.

Okay, that internal voice sounded like Beatrice. Fine. Ava has no idea what she did that caused Beatrice to insist on avoiding her or ignoring her altogether!

Plus! No one seemed to want to clue her in! The ones whose opinions mattered walked around like they knew, but wouldn’t tell her. If she wasn’t mistaken, even Mother Superion gave her a look she couldn’t identify just this morning, stared right at her for a good few seconds and then shook her head as if in disappointment.

Three days and it’s killing her that Beatrice seems so…far away.

Whatever the reason, Ava’s not beneath apologizing even if she has no idea what she did wrong. If that is what it takes to have Beatrice back, she’ll do it.

But first: how to apologize?

Whatever it is that pissed off her friend must have been a big deal. So that means Ava needs to go big or go home. And going home is not an option—go big it is.

And since there weren’t a lot of people to help her out, Ava may have gone on the internet for inspiration on “ways to apologize” by means of the OCS library. In the midst of her search, she came across “creative ways you can apologize” and the word “flowers” caught her eye.

Beatrice would love flowers to go along with her apology, right?

Everyone loves flowers! _I think_.

Anyhow, she’s here. Might as well buy _something_.

* * *

 _Two Lips_ , so said the name of the store displayed out front. Ava can’t say she isn’t amused and chuckles as she stepped inside and takes in the various and numerous flowers lining shelves and counters throughout.

_So. Many. Colors._

_How the hell—why are there so many?_

Ava spots one that had a pretty long stem with pink petals. Curious, Ava slowly leans forward to try and sniff if it smelled anything nice.

“May I help you?” A woman’s cheerful voice disrupts Ava, causing the supposed God’s champion to jump nearly a foot backwards—close enough to almost topple the display behind her.

“I’m sorry!” Ava is quick to apologize and notices the relief on the woman’s face directed at the row of flora behind her, the woman whom Ava assumes works at the flower shop.

Sighing at the accident averted, said saleslady turns back towards Ava and slightly shakes her head. “I’m sorry if I’ve startled you.”

“Ah, fuck. Well, I should probably apologize in advance because my friends like to think of me as a walking disaster. I’m not. Not really. Sometimes.” Ava’s eyes widen along with the saleslady’s, “Not that I intend to cause harm or damage—I swear! Look. Um, I just need to buy a flower.” _Why can’t I just shut up??_

Ava tucks her hands inside her pockets as she and the flower shop attendant exchange a few seconds staring at each other. The younger woman is partly worried she might be asked to leave before she could get what she came here for.

Although, judging by the small smile on the other that seemed to have made an appearance, maybe Ava still has a chance.

“You need to buy a flower, you say? Well, I would certainly hope so since I’d be dreadfully surprised if you came in here looking for something else.” The older woman grins to emphasize that she’s teasing. Ava exhales in relief and follows when the grey-haired woman starts walking towards the counter.

“Any idea what flower you’d be interested in?” She asks, which causes Ava’s shoulders to slump as she mournfully looks at the rows and rows of plants.

“I’ll take by the look on your face you have no idea.”

“Do you have any flowers that automatically says ‘I’m sorry’?” Ava nervously rubs the back of her neck.

The woman at the counter stops and stares at her curiously and then smirks, “Done something, did you?”

Ava rolls her eyes and throws her hands up in the air, “Why does everyone assume I’m the one at fault??” Without her noticing, the young woman begins to pace the length of the counter separating her from the older woman who stared at her with a growing grin as Ava started to…well…rant.

“I don’t even know why she seems so…so UPSET! She won’t speak to me. She certainly acts like I’ve done something against her or whatever. But she won’t tell me! And believe me, I ASKED! At first, I thought she was just tired or busy and that’s why I couldn’t seem to catch her on time, you know? But then I realized she was avoiding me. Avoiding me! Like I did something! And it’s been days. DAYS. I’ve even started asking the others in case they know but they won’t tell me! They keep on acting like I _should_ know. Why? Do I look like I have the power to read minds? Does the hal—” Ava abruptly cuts herself off, barely realizing what she was about to let slip.

The sudden quiet also gives Ava time to realize she’s been going off for a bit at a complete stranger.

She turns to look at the old woman who shakes her head and chuckles.

“Sounds like you’re in deep shit with this woman.”

Ava belatedly realizes the woman’s interesting accent that slips in every now and then with certain words.

“I…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Sounds like you should reserve those apologies for that uh…friend of yours whom you’ve ticked off.”

Ava huffs and takes a seat upon a stool tucked away in a corner. “I just want things to go back to the way they were.” Ava sighs and looks down at her feet, wondering until when she was supposed to suffer from an angry Beatrice.

“May I ask what ‘that way’ is?”

“What way?” Ava looks back up in confusion.

“You mentioned you wanted things to go back to the way they were. What ways are those?”

“Why?” The question is asked in all innocence, which seems to amuse the older woman judging by the glint in her eyes.

“Humor an old lady. It could help me figure out what flower might suit you best.”

Ava frowns and seems to ponder the matter briefly before her shoulder drop even further and she sighs in resignation. “I guess.”

“Chin up, kid. Tell me what’s she like? What do you like best about her?”

If the glint in the older woman’s eyes was telling, the open and clear expression on Ava’s face as she began to speak foretold of so much more.

“Bea is…God. Bea is so smart. And kind. She’s so kind. She was the first one really to accept me when I first arrived. When I got uh…upset…she was the first to seek me out and try to comfort me. She makes me laugh too. Like she can be funny when she wants to be. Although most of them think she’s like super serious. And she can do really good puns too! Almost better than me.” Ava grins at the memories she’s obviously recollecting at the moment.

“She’s a real badass too. She can throw down dudes twice her size in like a snap,” Ava emphasizes her point with a snap of her own. “She also wields knives like a pro! Damn she can throw those babies with precision. I told her I wanted to try it with her—you know, like in the circus? With a watermelon or something on my head.” The older woman’s eyes widen and Ava rushes to reassure her with a grin, “It’s okay. Bea didn’t go for it. I don’t see why not though. She’s so good she could throw a chopping knife at me and I’d be super chill.”

“And did I mention she’s smart? Like not just street smart shit. No, that woman speaks so many languages. It wouldn’t surprise me if one day she just starts reading and speaking Sumerian or something.”

“Sumerian?”

“Dead language. She can do Latin already. In fact, she can probably read Latin _and_ explain it to you in some other foreign language while she’s at it.” Ava waves her hands casually as she continues. “She knows a lot. She reads a lot. If she’s not kicking ass, she really likes to read.”

“You mentioned she likes to read.” The other woman teases as she suddenly pushes herself off from casually leaning against the counter and slowly makes her way to one of the aisles across the store. Ava continues to prattle on.

“Yeah. She really does. And even when she’s busy reading, I like spending time with her anyway.”

“You read a lot too?” The woman inspects a bouquet as she asks nonchalantly.

“Pfft. No. Beatrice probably wishes I would spend more time in my lesson but…I get restless, you know?”

The other hums absently as she picks out a few stems.

“The thing is though…” Ava trails off.

The pause finally catches the older woman’s attention, and she peers to the side just in time to see the look on the young woman’s face.

“What is it?” She asks softly, as if afraid to startle the girl and belay the words she was curious enough to want to hear.

“You asked about the way things were…that’s one of those ‘things’.” Ava sighs. “When I spend time with Bea, no matter what it is we’re doing, it’s like all the noise just drops away. I can sit beside her and do nothing or even just read stupid magazines while she reads all these books that probably weigh more than I do…and that’s okay. That’s okay…” Ava smiles absently at the memory.

Ava suddenly seems to snap back into the present and notes the woman’s new location, and what she’s doing.

“What are those?”

“Your flowers.”

“Mine?”

“Yep. For your friend.”

“Oh.”

Ava approaches to observe the woman’s quick and efficient movements in wrapping up the white and yellow flowers in mix of paper, plastic, and ribbon.

“Wow.” Ava is in awe as the few stems she’d originally seen carefully plucked somehow transforms into this big, beautiful thing wrapped with a nice tidy bow.

“Fuck, that looks amazing.” Ava mutters as she’s handed the bouquet.

“Thank you.”

Ava looks up and stammers a bit, “I…you really know your stuff.”

Only then does Ava really take a good and careful look at the older woman, the grey in her long hair which only seems to lend a touch of elegance, the wry grin, the faint lines on her face that spoke of laughter and happiness in her life. Ava’s eyes drift down to her hands that rested atop the counter and sees the ring.

“You’re not just the attendant here, are you?”

The arched eyebrow and the laugh that follows are the replies. Ava blushes. The woman is definitely pretty for her age, she’ll admit as much. “I’m not going to ask how you came to that conclusion—but yes. I’m not _just_ the attendant here.”

Ava looked around the store, failing to notice anyone else.

“I’m celebrating an anniversary. Felt generous and gave the staff the day off as well. I was about to close when you came in.”

“Oh. Oh! I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. Listen,” the woman points at the flowers in Ava’s hands, “you plan to apologize and when she asks you ‘what for’, chances are she’ll only get upset if you say you don’t know and even _more_ upset if you make up some stupid answer instead of just admitting you don’t know shit.”

Ava’s eyes are focused on the woman, soaking in the info she wishes she could have gotten much, much earlier.

“So, what do I say?”

“Go with the truth.”

“Uh…the truth IS I don’t know shit.”

“We settled that. Tell her what you told me. Tell her that you don’t know why she seems so upset with you. But tell her that you miss her, that you miss spending time with her, and for whatever it’s worth, you’re sorry. And then tell her you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to her.”

Ava’s nodding furiously before the woman has even completed her sentence. “I would totally do whatever it takes to get Bea speaking to me again.”

Another round of laugh emits from the older woman whom Ava finds herself suddenly indebted to.

“You certainly look like you’d go to hell and back for her if need be, eh?”

Ava mutters, “You have no idea.”

They find their way back onto the main counter as Ava doles out what money she’d saved to pay for the flowers. “Here, you might want a card to go with that.” The woman slips Ava her change along with a small card stock.

“Oh. I uh…”

“I get it. You want to focus on saying things in person. That’s fine.”

“No. It’s just…” Ava huffs in exasperation, “I have shitty handwriting.”

“It’s a small card. It doesn’t have to be an essay. Just let her know it’s for her, and that it’s from you.”

“Oh! Right.” Ava stares a little longer and then beams widely at the other woman.

“Thank you SO much! Pretty sure you saved my life.”

The other woman shrugs and smiles, “Quite high praise. But this is part of why I love what I do and why I keep doing it.”

“You like to help crazy people who don’t know how to apologize?” Ava sends her a wry grin.

“Partly. But…I like helping people figure things out.”

“What things?”

She shrugs once more, but something about her grin tells Ava the other woman knows more than she’s letting on. “Like how to apologize.”

Ava’s about to retort about how her answer didn’t add up, but a small beeping sound prompts the younger woman to pull out her phone from her pocket.

“Shit.”

“You have to go, and I have to close up before another well-meaning customer decides to drop by.”

“Right. Sorry.” Ava is sheepish as she quickly moves towards the door, looking over her shoulder one last time to wave and say thanks, but the flower shop owner beats her to it by asking a question.

“You say she’s smart, right?”

Ava pauses, “Yeah. The smartest. Why?”

A mysterious smile flits through her lips before she responds, “When she asks what those flowers are, be sure to remember: those are yellow acacias and gardenias. If you don’t mind, maybe compliment the hint of yellow in the gardenias as well.”

Ava looks even more confused, but her phone emits another sound and with a hurried, “Okay! Thanks!” finally makes her way out of the shop.

* * *

A hand on her shoulder, adorned with a ring that matches the one on her finger alerts the shop owner to the new arrival.

“Another satisfied customer?”

“Definitely. I’d put money she either she comes back here, OR her lady love _Bea_ does.”

“You’re that confident your old-woman wisdom did the trick, huh?”

She turns around to greet the newcomer who happens to be a woman, slightly shorter than her but not by much. Her blonde hair just a little less blonde these days but still the same reminder of the light she’s brought into her life. Her smile is just as wide and as honest, her eyes still that same blue she fell in love with years and years ago.

“Stop callin’ me an ‘old woman’, Poppins.” She retorts as she grabs her wife’s hand to draw her close, wrapping an arm around her waist.

The woman affectionately called Poppins rolls her eyes and pulls away from the embrace. “Nope. No time, Jamie. Flip that sign already so we can go.” She throws a wink back at her wife, “We have an anniversary to celebrate.”

Jamie chuckles as she makes her way to the front door and flips the OPEN sign to CLOSED, her eyes pausing to check if the young girl is still around.

Of course, she’s not. Judging by the look on her face from whatever message she might have received on her phone, the girl had to be somewhere in a hurry.

Still, Jamie wishes the girl well—and that this Beatrice is as smart as her customer says she is.

A mischievous smile forms on Jamie’s lips as she wonders if and when this girl will come by to likely ask for an explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm marking this complete only because each chapter can be considered standalones. I figured I can throw all my one-shots that feature avatrice "together but not really" in here.


End file.
